I have the Sigma 18-200 - Regrets?...maybe

[Fizzbang]

I spent days going through reviews on the Sigma and Tamron 18-200 hypers and came to a decision on the Sigma 18-200..I now have used this lens in anger but to be honest feel a little disappointed and kinda regret the purchase...

On a bright sunny day this Lens cruises along and offers a decent picture....

On dull days it is a nightmare to use....I have to eternally switch the ISO to 400-800 to reduce blurring and lift it out of the sub 60 speeds without a Tripod and although the EOS350d I have produces decent pictures at ISO 400-800 I still think I should have bought another lens.

I am now saving to get a Canon 28-135 IS Lens and I hope this provides the type of results I want...

If any of you have any input on this please do.

[buze]

Well these are not fast lens, and even with a fast lens, a dull day is a dull day! You can't expect to have "pop" color shots in overcast conditions :D
As far as speed goes, yeah, hand-holding it at 200ish mm is hard, but in my experience practice makes it quite a lot better. When I got that lens I remember having a day out with it and shooting wildlife etc, and was quite disapointed by the result.. But since then *I* progressed a lot at handling the camera and my proportion of keepers on the long end increased dramaticaly...

For "limit" conditions you can always shoot RAW and underexpose 1 stop, it will give you the sharp shot and you can recover it on the computer very easily...

[Fizzbang]

Thanks..I always shoot RAW anyway, but the underexposing tip is interesting and one I'll try out....I have to say in good light it is excellent...but I just struggled to get the crispness in sub 60 speeds...which it normally dropped into on dull days....

[DavidEB]

not having either of the lenses you mention, I still see some issues to consider....

shutter speed should be AT WORST 1/focal length. for a camera with 1.6x crop, that guidance should maybe be 1 / ( FL * 1.6). so at the long end the sigma lens might not give good images at shutter speeds slower than 1/300 and the canon might not give good images at shutter speeds less than 1/200 (approx, ignoring IS for now).

The sigma 18-200 lens is f3.5 - 6.3. This means that at the long end of the lens it has a small aperature. To get a focal length of faster than 1/300 at f6.3 on a cloudy day might require ISO faster than 1600. Trying to handhold at 1/60 (I think this is what your post is suggesting) is unlikely to get decent images. Like Clint says "A man's gotta know his lens's limitations"

The canon 28-135 is f 3.5-5.6. You get an extra 1/2 stop of light from the lens, and the focal length is 2/3 as long as the sigma. You'll have a better chance of crisp images handheld. But it won't give you the 50% extra reach of the sigma.

The canon has IS. Maybe that's the answer to your needs. But a tripod is a lot cheaper than an IS lens.

again, I don't have either lens so don't know from firsthand, but I've read that the optical quality of the canon may not be very good, whereas there are positive postes about the sigma (I'm referring to these particular lenses, not to the entire line from either manufacturer). None of the "hyperzooms" will give really great image quality.


have fun choosing,...

[Hellashot]

Well these are not fast lens, and even with a fast lens, a dull day is a dull day! You can't expect to have "pop" color shots in overcast conditions :D
As far as speed goes, yeah, hand-holding it at 200ish mm is hard, but in my experience practice makes it quite a lot better. When I got that lens I remember having a day out with it and shooting wildlife etc, and was quite disapointed by the result.. But since then *I* progressed a lot at handling the camera and my proportion of keepers on the long end increased dramaticaly...

For "limit" conditions you can always shoot RAW and underexpose 1 stop, it will give you the sharp shot and you can recover it on the computer very easily...

I agree! You need 1/actual focal length to avoid handheld shake and on a cloudy day it can be very hard to get 1/200 when zoomed in, especially onto a darker object. Probably not the fault of the lens, just the day. There's nothing wrong with going to higher ISOs to avoid camera shake - with any camera - unless you plan to print 13x19 or bigger on every image. Don't be afraid to go above ISO 200 - I'm not and I only have a Drebel!

[Andy_T]

No problem ...

just get the Canon 70-200/2.8 L IS instead, it'll give you both IS and the faster aperture to get sharp handheld shots on overcast days.

What? You don't have $ 1600 available for your next lens purchase :shock:

OK, that *might* be a problem, then :wink:

Bottom line ... know your limitations and that of the equipment.
A tripod or monopod is a must in some situations.

ISO 1600 or even 3200 are quite usable with noise reduction.
Look at this thread, near the end of the first page (http://photography-on-the.net/forum/showthread.php?t=83655&page=1&pp=40).
I posted an example of an image taken at ISO 3200, f/2.0 and 1/40 s with the 50/1.8 with and without noise reduction.

Best regards,
Andy

[whchan]

The 28-135/3.5-5.6 would not help at all. The sigma 18-200/3.5-6.3, at the wide end, is identical to the Canon 28-135; while zoomed to 135mm, the f-stop probably be around 5.6 as well. The IS may help you to a little but you are just having an unreal expectation from a 3.5-6.3 lens, especially at the long end. There is nothing wrong with using ISO800 on your XT at all. I basically use ISO800 all the time when I shoot indoor, with the 50mm/1.8 lens!! I have printed a lot of photos (shot at ISO800) to 24"x36" and they looked great.